The present invention relates to print media sheet feeders for computer driven printer/plotters of the type which have a path of travel of the paper or other print medium through the printer in a fore and aft direction and a print head carriage mounted on one or more slider rods which moves back and forth transversely of the path of paper travel through the printer. As used herein, the term "paper" is used for convenience but is intended to include other media on which printing is to take place such as transparent sheets and the like.
Typical prior art printers use paper feeders which pick a sheet of paper from a stack and continuously feed the sheet from the stack through the printer past the print heads to an output tray or basket. In such arrangements, the printing cannot commence until the sheet of paper has traversed the entire length of the paper path from the paper stack to the printing station. Also, the sheet of paper often becomes skewed during passage from the stack to the printing station.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the time for printing and to de-skew the paper immediately before it enters the print station.